The UConn men’s basketball team enjoyed its championship parade Saturday, but the celebration reportedly could have gone better for U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
The third-term Democrat representing Connecticut fractured his femur and is expected to undergo surgery Sunday after a mishap at the parade, he told News12 Connecticut. The incident reportedly occurred after a person taking video of the 77-year-old Blumenthal tripped and fell on him, causing the injury.
According to Blumenthal’s fellow Connecticut senator Chris Murphy, the injury didn’t spell the end of Blumenthal enjoying the parade:
An estimated 45,000 fans turned out in Hartford to celebrate their title with head coach Dan Hurley and the team, led by stars Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo.
Blumenthal got in on the action by leading the Connecticut Congressional delegation in a resolution to honor the Huskies’ college town of Storrs as the “College Basketball Capital of the World” in the Senate and House of Representatives:
“Once again, the Huskies have inspired our state,” the delegation said in a statement. “Five national championships don’t happen by accident – they are the result of the coaches’ and players’ hard work and the unwavering support from everyone in the UConn community. The ‘College Basketball Capital of the World’ in Storrs has been reaffirmed. We’re so proud of this team and program.”
Certain towns in California, North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas might quibble with that statement, but UConn sure has been making an increasingly convincing argument in recent years. After all, the Huskies men’s and women’s teams have won a combined 16 titles since 1995, a span of time in which Blumenthal has worked as the state’s attorney general and U.S. senator.
This most recent title was much like the men’s past titles, in which a lower-seeded team seemingly came out of nowhere in a chaotic tournament. UConn was uniquely dominant in its run, winning every game by at least 13 points and averaging a 20-point margin of victory.
